Laboratory clerk vs administrative clerk

The differences between laboratory clerks and administrative clerks can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a laboratory clerk and an administrative clerk. Additionally, an administrative clerk has an average salary of $32,327, which is higher than the $32,182 average annual salary of a laboratory clerk.

The top three skills for a laboratory clerk include patients, phlebotomy and lab specimens. The most important skills for an administrative clerk are customer service, data entry, and patients.

Laboratory clerk vs administrative clerk overview

	Laboratory Clerk	Administrative Clerk
Yearly salary	$32,182	$32,327
Hourly rate	$15.47	$15.54
Growth rate	-5%	-5%
Number of jobs	105,165	137,639
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 34%	Bachelor's Degree, 37%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	2	2

What does a laboratory clerk do?

A laboratory clerk is responsible for a variety of tasks needed to process, report, and deliver laboratory tests and results. These include coordinating patient specimen collection, managing requests for laboratory tests, and adhering to laboratory safety rules and standards. As a laboratory clerk, you will be responsible for storing and retrieving copies of lab test reports. You must inform the lab supervisor about malfunctioning office equipment. In addition, you are also responsible for preparing and sending laboratory reports to physicians.

What does an administrative clerk do?

An administrative clerk provides support to staff and does clerical works. These clerical duties include answering and making phone calls, typing documents, compiling and filing records, and scheduling appointments. The clerks often set up office meetings and invite reliable speakers. Also, they do research and prepare reports or presentations. Candidates for the job must be organized, detail-oriented, and can manage their time well. They must be tech-savvy and have a basic knowledge of bookkeeping. The salary depends on their experience, industry, and location of the job.

Laboratory clerk vs administrative clerk salary

Laboratory clerks and administrative clerks have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Laboratory Clerk	Administrative Clerk
Average salary	$32,182	$32,327
Salary range	Between $15,000 And $65,000	Between $25,000 And $40,000
Highest paying City	-	Seattle, WA
Highest paying state	-	Washington
Best paying company	-	Columbia University in the City of New York
Best paying industry	-	Finance

Differences between laboratory clerk and administrative clerk education

There are a few differences between a laboratory clerk and an administrative clerk in terms of educational background:

	Laboratory Clerk	Administrative Clerk
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 34%	Bachelor's Degree, 37%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	Western Carolina University

Laboratory clerk vs administrative clerk demographics

Here are the differences between laboratory clerks' and administrative clerks' demographics:

	Laboratory Clerk	Administrative Clerk
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 18.6% Female, 81.4%	Male, 27.9% Female, 72.1%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.6% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 20.0% Asian, 7.2% White, 56.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%	Black or African American, 11.4% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 21.9% Asian, 8.3% White, 53.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between laboratory clerk and administrative clerk duties and responsibilities

Laboratory clerk example responsibilities.

Demonstrate strong math skills in managing inmate s accounts and calmly and effectively deescalating outbursts of belligerent inmates.
Train and follow strict HIPAA laws for protection of patient privacy.
Ensure patient safeguard, protection and comply to all company policies, procedures and HIPAA regulations
Process and organize patients' medical lab records and maintain records accuracy.
Confer with patients to obtain information for laboratory records, explain testing and addressed patient concerns.
Perform immunological, chemical, microbiological, and hematological tests, critically examine results for accuracy, troubleshoot discrepancies.

Administrative clerk example responsibilities.

Orchestrate special events and reservations; manage customer relations and provide exemplary service to all customers.
Assist teachers with GED packets for students.
Ship orders via customers freight line request (ex.
Schedule and administer the GED exam upon the completion of the inmate's profile.
Enter data in spreadsheets for reports, auction items, payroll and monthly utility accounts.
Process all DMV registration, titles, title flips and plates using CVR and TriVin programs.

Laboratory clerk vs administrative clerk skills

Common laboratory clerk skills

Patients, 32%
Phlebotomy, 10%
Lab Specimens, 6%
Computer System, 4%
Computer Data Entry, 4%
Medical Terminology, 4%

Common administrative clerk skills

Customer Service, 17%
Data Entry, 16%
Patients, 9%
Word Processing, 6%
Payroll Data, 5%
Database Systems, 4%

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Laboratory Clerk
Laboratory Clerk vs Administrative Clerk

Updated January 8, 2025

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